Guglielmo Marconi airport has now turned to green energy. The new "Elettra" charging station was launched last Friday by the Mobility and Traffic Councillor of Bologna, Mr Andrea Colombo, and the Airport's President, Mrs Giada Grandi. The new service consists of an eco-friendly EV charging station which provides energy from photovoltaic modules.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121128/579711 )
The solar charging station sits in the car park. This EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) was manufactured by the Italian company Giulio Barbieri S.p.A. and it provides passengers with the chance to recharge electric vehicles for free during their stay at the airport.

"Elettra is proof of the great attention given by Marconi airport to environmental sustainability", remarks President Giada Grandi. "G. Marconi has been one of the first airports, early in 2001, investing in an 80kW-photovoltaic plant covering a total area of 1,100sq.m. In the past years, our group has worked hard to reduce the environmental impact on our territory, achieving a "Level 2: Reduction" by ACI Europe within the "Airport Carbon Accreditation" Protocol to decrease the greenhouse effect due to gas emissions".

Equipped with storage batteries placed on top of an upper beam of the structure, the station can offer one or two charging points for a maximal power output of 3.5kW. The station has been designed to ensure an around-the-clock energy supply, even in case of bad weather or insufficient irradiation: if needed, users get automatically connected to the local electrical grid.

Giulio Barbieri, president of the eponymous company, explains: "This EVSE is part of a range of products that meet the highest European quality standards. Our solar carports have recently received the CE marking. The European market is the first to give credit to our work: we are proud to count among our latest jobs: the EV charging station for Baka, one of the largest in North America; the 400kW solar carport for the Swiss electric utility company S.I.G.; the charging solar stations for electric vehicles for the public administrations of Paris Osnabrück and Helsingborg, and the solar station for the electric bikes at the European Commission".

The name "Elettra" comes from a contest held among the airport employees. It not only recalls the kind of service supplied, but also pays homage to Princess Elettra Marconi, the daughter of the Nobel Prize in Physics Guglielmo Marconi, after whom the airport is named.

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